Method and apparatus for replacing air in filled containers with inert gas



July 6,1926.

J. M. YOUNG METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPLACING AIR IN FILLED CONTAINERS WITH INERT GAS Filed Jan. 11.1924

Patented July 6, v19,26.

UNITED sTATEs tss-isn Parent ortica.

JOI-IN M. YOUNG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSGNOR T0 AMERICAN GAN COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATXON OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD AND PPEATS FOR REELACING-,AIR 1N FILLED CONTAINERS 'WITH ENERT GAS.

Application filed January 11,1924. Serial No. 685,665.

My invention relates to a method and apparatus for replacing air in a lilled container with an inert gas, such, for example, as carbon dioXid.

vWith recent advances in the'canning art, the practice of employing a preserving gas in canscontaining certain types of food products has been commercially employed and various methods of introducing the gas have been used.

While these methods have been more or less successful when used in gassing cans of relatively small size, considerable difficulty has been experienced in the case of large containers wherein the diameter'bears such relation to the strength of the metal that unequal pressure on opposite sides of the walls might be suficient to cause deformation, or collapse, of said walls. As a means of equalizing the pressure on the inside and outside of such a can, a process has been employed which consists in vacuumizing a sealed chamber in which a can having a vent hole in the cover thereof may be placed, the air being then withdrawn from the chamber and simultaneously from the interior of the can and gas thereafter being introduced into the chamber and entering through the vent hole into the can. This method is not only wasteful of gas, inasmuch as the part thereof in the chamber space about the can is necessarily lost, but also fails to produce an entirely balanced pressure condition since it takes an appreciable amount of time for the gas introduced under pressure into the chamber to pass into the can through the vent hole in amount suiicient to equalize the pressure on the exterior of said can.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a process in which the gas is introduced directly into the interior instead of into the vacuum chamber and in which the pressure on opposite sides of the container walls is substantially balanced at all times.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, partially in section and partially in elevation of one type of apparatus adapted for the practice of the process of my invention; p

Fig. 2 is a partial elevation of a container broken away to show the means of sealing the vent hole in the cover after 'the gas has been introduced; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the atmospheric pressure control valve.

While 1 have shown on the drawings a suitable apparatus for the purpose intended, 1 am well aware that various other types of apparatus, including, if desired, an automatic machine, could be used in the practice of my process and l, therefore, desire to have it understood that l do not regard the particular disclosure of the drawings, now to be described in detail, as limiting the invention to less than its proper scope, as set forth in the appended claims.

Upon the drawings, the reference character 11 indicates a vessel supported upon a table, or platform, 12 and adapted to be tightly closed by means of a cover 13, upon the under side of which is formed af bead 14 adapted to fit within a V-shaped annular groove 15 in the upper edge of the vessel wall. For the purpose of tightening said cover -onto the vessel, there are provided, upon the upper part of the vessel 11, a number of pivoted bolts 16 adapted to enter recesses 17 in the edge of the cover, butterfly nuts 18 being then tightened upon said bolts to clamp said cover in closed position.

A can 19 having been positioned within said vessel, a desired amount of air is withdrawn therefrom through a vent hole 21 in the cover 22, previously secured to the body by a seam 23. This is accomplished by vacuumizing to a desired degree the air chamber 24: within the vessel 11. This may be done by connecting said chamber to a e vacuum tank 25 by means of a pipe 26 having therein a valve 27 manually operable by means of a handle 28.

A chuck 29, provided with a rubber disk 31 on the face thereof, is carried upon the lower end of a tube 32 which is vertically reciprocable in a hub part 33 on the cover 13. The bore 34 of the tube 32 is communicably connected by means of a ieXible hose 35 with a gas tank 36. The chuck 29 is normally held in the raised position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 by means of a spring 37 surrounding'the tube 32 and disposed between the hub Cpart 33 of the cover 13 and a collar 38 rigi 1y secured to said tube. An operating lever 39, pivoted at 41 to an upstanding bracket 42 upon said cover 13, is pivoted at 43 to the collar 38 and provided with an extended handle portion 44 adapted to be operated by an attendant to clam the disk 29 against the top of the can, as s own in full lines in said Fig. 1. It will be noted that when said chuck is clamped against the can, the bore 34 is directl above the vent hole 21and the rubber disk tightly en ages the seam 23 so that gas flowing throng the tube 32 will enter directly into the can 19 and will be prevented from entering the chamber 24 about said can.

For the purpose of controlling the flow of gas into the can, I employ a valve 45 positioned at the upper end of the tube 32 and having a manually controllable operating handle 46.

The gas, under pressure, entering the can when the valve 45 1s opened would, of course, disturb the balanced pressure condition on opposite sides of the Walls of the can unless pressure Were, at the same time, increased in the chamber 24 and, for this purpose, I provide an atmospheric pressure control valve 47, which is sldably mounted in a yoke 48 secured to the tube 32 just beneath the gas control valve 45. An interior recess 49 in said yoke 48 is connected by a piece of hose 51 with the chamber 24. A cam 52 is held upon the stem of the valve 45 by means of a nut 53 and is adapted to act upon the upper end 54 of the valve member 47 to depress the latter against the tension of a spring 56 mounted upon said member beneath a collar 57. .A cross bore 55, in the valve member 47 communicates with a vertical bore 59 in said member and a series of radial apertures 58 are provided for admitting air to said vertical bore in amount proportionate to the extent of depression of the valve member under influence of the cam 52. When the valve member'is in its normal raised position, the apertures 58 are all covered by the yoke 48 and as said valve member is depressed by operation of the gas control valve 45, said apertures are successively exposed, permitting air to be drawn into the vacuum chamber 24 in amount proportional to the amount of gas entering the interior of the container. In this manner a balanced or equalized pressure is maintained on the outside and inside of the container walls at all times, thus avoiding an possibility of said walls being collapse Furthermore, a great saving is eifected over the method in which the gas is admitted to the vacuumized chamber 24 and allowed to enter the can through the vent hole 21, which method, in addition to the waste of gas, does not provide a perfectly balanced condition due to the delay of the gas in entering the container through the small vent hole.

It is intended that upon completion of the gas filling operation, the pressure within the container shall be substantially atmospheric pressure and the containers may, therefore,

e safely moved to a suitable posit-ion for applying a solder seal 60 to the vent hole without danger of appreciable loss of gas.

It is thou ht that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be. apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the arts without departing from the spirit and) scope of the invention, or vsacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a referred embodiment thereof.

I c aim 1. The method of replacin air in filled cans with inert gas, whic vacuumizing a sealed chamber in which a can having an opening therein is positioned, and introducing gas into said can and air into said chamber in such relative amount as to maintain an e ualized pressure ou the inside and outside o? the can walls.

2. The method of replacing air in filled cans with inert gas, which consists in vacuumizing a sealed chamber in which a can is positioned, introducing the gas into the can through a vent hole in the cover, and introducingv air into the vacuumized space about the can in said chamber during the gas filling operation to maintain an equalized pressure on opposite sides of the can walls.

3. The method of replacin air in filled cans with inert gas, whic consists in vacuumizing a sealed space in which a can having a vent hole therein is positioned, introducing gas directly into the can through said vent hole, and increasing the pressure on the exterior of the can proportional to the pressure of the gas intro uced.

4. A paratus for replacing air in filled cans with inert gas, comprising a vacuum chamber and means for vacuumizing the same, means for introducing gas through a vent hole in a ycan positioned 1n said chamber, and means for admitting air to the chamber during the gas filling operation to maintain an equalized pressure on the opposite sides of the can walls.

5. Apparatus for replacing air 1n filled cans with inert gas, comprising a vacuum chamber and means for vacuumizing the same, means for introducing gas through a vent hole in a can positioned 1n said chamber, and means automatically operable in the gas filling operation to admit air to said chamber proportional to the amount of gas introducedto maintain a constantly equalconsists in ized pressure on opposite sides of the can Wallsa 6. Apparatus for replacing air in filled canswith inert gas, comprising a Vacuum chamber in Which a can to he treated may he positioned to cause Withdrawal of a `desired amount of air through a Vent hole therein and means for vacuumizing said oharnben'rneans for communicably connecting said vent. hole With a Source of gas supply, a valve for controlling the flow of gas, and means automatically controllable by operation of said Valve for admitting air to said chamber in amount proportionate to the l5 pressure of the gas admitted to the can 7. Apparatus for replacing air in filled cans with inert gas, comprising a Vacuum chamber in which a can to be treated may he positioned to cause Withdrawal of a clesired amount of air through a Vent hole therein and means for vaouumizing said chamber, means for oommunicahly connecting said vent hole with a source of gas supply, a valve for controlling the flow of gas,

and means automatically controllable by i operation of said valve for admitting air to said chamber in amount variable in accortiance with the amount of gas being admitted to the can.

JHN M. YOUNG 

